But counsel assisting the ICAC, Geoffrey Watson, was as close as Georges was going to get to god yesterday - and Watson knew the devil was in the detail. He all but warned the self-confessed confused witness that the commission had done some research of its own.

As Watson leaned further and further forward on his lectern to fire home questions to which he already knew the answers, Georges' barrister tried to salvage something by jumping to his feet and stating the obvious.

Stephen Stanton said: "I object to the cheap shots. It's like shooting fish in a barrel and it should be desisted with by a man of Mr Watson's eminence."Watson pressed on regardless, to the mirth of the public gallery.

He quickly established that Georges owned half of the Elizabeth Bay Marina, recently invested in a company called Australian Water and owned shares in a company called Mincorp Pty Ltd.

The sons of former Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid are referred to in the commission as an entity - "the Obeids" - because they "regard themselves as investing as a family".

Watson also established that "the Obeids" are fellow shareholders in Mincorp, Eddie Obeid Jr had been on the payroll of Australian Water, Georges shares the same solicitor as "the Obeids" and Moses Obeid pops into the marina most days to help with the "day-to-day business" - including accounts - although Georges denied Moses Obeid had anything to do with the ownership of the marina.

Georges also admitted lending more than $400,000 interest free and undocumented through a trust account on behalf of Andrew Kaidbay, who it is accepted was a front man for the Obeids.

The lion's share of the money was repaid in a roundabout way by "the Obeids".

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